If you're a vegetarian you need to provide your body with foods that contain the essential amino acids that are used as building blocks of protein in the body. Every time you eat food of any kind your body breaks it down into three basic groups: A) Useful stuff  B) Energy C) Waste.

Useful stuff are foods which contain vitamins and the amino acids the body needs in order to create more complex molecules which then form what everyone sees: like hair, skin, eyes, muscle and so on. Energy comes from foods which contain either sugar or fat and depending on your body’s energy needs some of it will be used up immediately while the rest will be stored for later. Waste is everything your body cannot use or process and everyone knows what happens to waste.

Vegetarians and Vegans who train can still source everything they need for the body to build good quality muscle by eating a variety of foods which can be used to source the amino acids necessary to build protein in the body.

The table below provides some of the foods you can use to help your body build protein when you are on a meat-free diet.

DAIRY NUTS & SEEDS VEGETABLES
Egg Whites
Cottage Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Mozzarella
Ricotta Cheese (low fat)
Parmesan
Gouda Cheese
Feta Cheese
Swiss Cheese
Low Fat Yogurt
Pine Nuts
Black Walnuts
Pumpkin seeds/Squash seeds
Roasted almonds
Cashew nuts
Hemp seeds
Sunflower seeds
Spinach
Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Sun-dried tomatoes
Asparagus
Cauliflower
PULSES (LEGUMES) CEREAL FUNGI
Lentils
Peas
Blackeyed Peas
Kidney beans
Beans
Soybean
Oats & Oat bran
Whole wheat spaghetti
Couscous
Bulgur
Rye bread
Whole wheat pita bread
Pita bread
Quinoa
Buckwheat
Mushrooms

Top 10 Meatless Protein Sources

Top Meatless / Vegetarian Protein Sources

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